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| Strong Link between Soft Drink Consumption and Mental Problems |
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| Dr. Lars Lien and colleagues at the University of Oslo studied more than 5,000 teenagers of 15 or 16 years old in Norway. They discovered a clear and direct association between soft drink consumption and hyperactivity, and a more complex link with other mental and behavioural disorders. This association remained significant after adjustment for social, behavioural and food-related disorders. |
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| In the study, the more sugary soft drinks the teenager drank, the more symptoms of hyperactivity he or she had. Those teenagers who drank four or more soft drinks a day had the worst hyperactive mental problems. This equates to 10% of boys and 2% of girls in the study. |
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| The high content of refined sugar in soft drinks may be the prime cause of hyperactivity and other behavioural mental disorders. The researchers also said other substances in the soft drinks, such as caffeine, may also be related to the symptoms. Further research is required to determine the exact reasons for this strong association. |
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| In terms of sugar intake in Norway, the recommended level of maximum daily intake of total calories from sugar is 10%. However, in the above research, at least a quarter of the boys were getting this amount from soft drinks alone. If other sources of refined sugar in the children's diets were also taken into account, a significant portion of teenagers were expected to exceed the healthy level of daily sugar intake. |
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| The report of this research was published in the American Journal of Public Health. (News Report – Sept 28, 2006) |
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| High intake of soft drinks or adding sugar to drinks is linked to pancreatic cancer |
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| In a research conducted by the Karolinska Institute of Sweden, the researchers studied the diets of almost 80,000 men and women between 1997 and 2005. A total of 131 of them developed pancreatic cancer, which is a deadly form of cancer difficult to treat. |
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| The key findings of the research include: |
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People who drank soft drinks or syrup-based drinks twice a day or more had 90% higher risk of getting cancer in the pancreas compared to those who never drank them. |
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Those who added sugar to their drinks, such as coffee or tea, about 5 times a day had 70% higher risks. |
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Those who ate creamed fruit, a fruit-based Swedish dessert, at least once a day had 50% higher risks. |
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| Pancreatic cancer is one of the most serious forms of cancer, with very poor prognosis for the patients. It is often diagnosed only after the cancer has spread beyond the pancreas. Hence it is very difficult to treat and the fatality rate is high. Therefore it is important to learn how to prevent this disease. |
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| Each year, about 216,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer are diagnosed worldwide, mostly in developed countries. It occurred mostly among people aged over 60. |
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| The report of this research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (News Report – November 8, 2006) |
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| Drinking cola results in weaker bones in women, hence higher fracture risks |
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| A research conducted by the Tufts University in Boston, USA found that those women who consumed cola daily had significantly lower bone mineral density (BMD) in their hips than those who drank less than one serving of cola a month. Lower bone mineral density indicates higher fracture risks. |
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| Previous studies in teenage girls have tied heavy soft drink consumption to fractures and lower bone density. In this research, scientists studied more than 2,538 adults (1,413 women and 1,125 men) on the bone-thinning disease of osteoporosis. Their bone mineral densities were measured in the spine and at 3 points on the hips. |
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| It was found that those women who drank the most cola had significantly less dense bones in their hips. The more the intake of cola, the thinner and weaker are the hip bones. This linear relationship was observed for diet, regular and non-caffeinated cola beverages among women. |
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| Those women who drank more cola in the study did not drink less milk. However, cola contains phosphoric acid, which impairs the absorption of calcium and increases excretion of the mineral. Less calcium absorbed and retained in the body translates to lower bone mineral density and weaker bones. In addition, the researchers noted that caffeine in soft drinks has also been linked to osteoporosis. |
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| The effect of cola consumption on the bone mineral density of men was not significant in the study. And there was no clear association between soft drinks in general and bone mineral density. |
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| It is advisable for people, particularly women with problems of osteoporosis, to avoid taking cola and caffeinated drinks. The report of this research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (News Report – October 10, 2006) |
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